Electric gas-detecting safety-lamp.



C. G. HUNT & J. H. COYLE.

ELECTRIC GAS DETECTING SAFETY LAMP. APPLlcATmN FILED SEPT. 27. 1916.

93942806., Patented Feb. 18, 1919.

3 SHEETS-SHEET I.

5 v m magnum/En C. G. HUNT &1. H. COYLE.

ELECTRIC GAS DETECTING SAFETY LAMP.

APPLICATION FILED sEPT.21.191s.

1.294.@06, Patented Feb. 18, 1919.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

A TTOR/VE Y.

(3.6. HUNT I J. H. COYLE.

ELECTRIC GAS DETECTING SAFETY LAMP.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 27. 191e.

Patented Feb. 18, 1919.

' durable and effective cram e. nimm, or DUNELLEN,

ann Joann. coYLE, or PLMNFIELD, NEW

JERSEY.

ELECTRIC GAS-DETECTING SAFETY-LAMP.

ree'ice,

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, CHRISTAIN Gr. HUNT and JOHN H. COYLE both citizens of the United States, residing, respectively, in

Dunellen, county of Middlesex, and State of New Jerse and in Plainfield, county of Union, and tate of New Jersey, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Electric Gas-Detecting Safety-Lamps, of which the following is a description.

Illhis invention relates to safety lamps, land particularly to a combination electric lamp and gas detector for mines, submarines, chemical plants, garages, dyeing houses, gas chambers, etc.

Among for detecting 'the presence of gas in mines, chambers, rooms, and other places, and warning of the presence of certain explosive gases; to provide a lamp for use by miners, and others who arel liable to be subjected to noxious gases, which will detect the presence of the gas in the immediate vicinity and produce a signal indicating the fact; to

rovide an electric lamp so constructed that 1t will be immediatelyextinguished in the presence of an explosion, shock, or jar of sucient severity to cause the breaking of .the lamp bulb or globe; to provide an electrio lamp which must be perfect in all its fittings, connections and elemental structures before it can be made to burn for lightgiving purposes and which, in the event any of its parts becomes disconnected, loosened or opened, will cease burning, thus providing means for keeping the lamp in perfect working condition; and to provide a simple, asdetecting electric lam for the uses an purposes above set `fort which is automatic in operation and can be set orregulated to produce several dierent effects as hereinafter described.

With the above objects in view and others'` :which will be detailedduring the course'of this description,.our invention consists in the parts, features, elements and combinations thereof hereinafter described and claimed. l

ln order that ourv -invention may lbe clearly understood, weA have provided drawings wherein:

Figure 1 is a vertical central section of our combination electric lamp and gas detector;

. Specication of Letters Patent.

the objects of our invention may be noted the'following: to provide a means- Application led September 27, 1916. Serial No. 122,372. I

Fig. 6 is a sectional plan of a portion of said ap' aratus'; Y

. Fig. shown in Fig. 5; and

Fig. 8 is' a section substantially ,on the line'S-S lof Fig. 5.

Referring to the drawings, 1 indicates a Conduletreceptacle forming the base of the apparatus, the same being .preferably substantially circular in formand provided with one or more conduit couplings 2in which a section 3 of a Patented ret. is, raie.

is a side elevation of the structure the numeral tubular conduit may be screwed or other-V .i

wise securely fastened. .Ant inner conduit 4, if. desired, may be used through which are led the wires connecting with the feed wires or mains, running from a service station, or generator, battery or other suitable current-producing means. The' supportln base for'any desired depth may be provide with insulating material 6, acting also as a seal against moisture, dampness, etc., and

which will surround and seal the inlet of the conduits 3 and 4, and in which also the connecting wires may be buried for protection and insulation. At its top, the base 1 may be closed by the bowl 6 of the lamp, which is provided `with a lateral flange 7 and rim 8.-v The flange 7 may be bolted or y otherwisel detachably orlpermanently secured to the top of the base 1, .and the bottom of the bowl 6 may beprovided with 'a plate or closure 9 secured in place by screws 10, or other suitable means and providlng a support for binding-posts 11, 11 or other Y suitable wire terminals. The top of the base, through medium of the bowl 6, 1s

12 poured or molded into the bowl and lilling the same to any extent desired; and said compound may. hold in place a nonconducting base or support 13 of. any suitable form for supporting the usual screwsocket 14 for an .incandescent lamp-bulb.

'.lpe base 1 has secured to its top, directly hermetieally sealed against gas and moisture by any suitable insulating compound mageos I according to the amount' of resistance inits rack, coperating with the pinion 28, to

swing the arm 30 counter-clockwise into engagement with the outer terminal 31, of the resistance, see Fig. 5, causing the lamp to burn at full power. This action is agalnst the tendency of the spring 29 to shift the arm 30 across the contacts of the resistance 32 to insert the maximum resistance. Consequently when a gas which is lighter than air enters the chamber of the base l, through the inlet 33, and rapidly diluses therein, pressure is decreased in the chamber 'of bowl 6 by driving air from said chamber and operates upon the duplex diaphragm 21-22 to allow -it to expand, lwhich action is aided by the 'contained springs 34, thusactuating the lever 24, aided by the spiral spring 29, and shifting the arm 30, clockwise from terminal 31 toward terminal 65 to insert more v dium of feed wires or ina-ins, any number of resistance in the circuit, causing the incandescent lamp to be dimmed. This warns the operator of the presence of, gases lighter than air and4 that it is time to leave the lace where he is working. The resistance inserted as a'bove noted will be sufficient to dim the lightto the extent necessary to give the warning and' yet will enable the.

lamp to give suHic'ient light for the operator to see his Way to safety. On the other hand,

.the gas under compression in the chamber of the bowl 6 of the lamp normally compresses the duplex diaphragm 36 against the atmospheric pressure at 37, thus causing engagement of the switch 39 with contact 42 to complete the circuit and cause the lampto l'burn at full power. Should an explosion occur in some portion of the mine at a distance V from a given operator, resulting in increased pressure externally of the lamp, or should undue pressure from 'any -cause occur externally of the lamp', the duplex diaphragm 36 would be expanded against the Vinternal gas pressure resulting in breakingthe engagement of spring 39 with contact 42, thus momentarily puttingou-t the light of the lamp. Also, should'. the ,pressure of gasl within the chamber of the bowl 6 be unduly reduced, the light would be extinguished and the operator thus warned to put his lamp in operative condition, which he will do \by going to a p lace of safety or station provided for. the purpose. Should a shock or jar break the bulb of the lamp, the gas contained in the chamber would immediately y operat expand, reducing pressure upon the' dia? phragm 36, resulting in breaking the conta' at 42, the gas operating immediately to snui' the light. Should a shock or jar break th globe, or should the latter become fractu" suiiiciently to reduce gas pressure in the bowl-chamber, switch 39 will be shifted, the

circuit broken and the lamp extinguished.

Thus it will be understood that, under all conditions which may be encountered in the places where the lamp is adapted for use, the

operator will not only be warned of the.. i

presence of surrounding gases, which are lighter than air, 'but will also be warned -of possible danger; and, if his lamp is not 1n proper working condition, or operative as a detector and signal, he will know the fact from its failure'to burn and he will immediately seek a place of safety and correct the Ifault.

While our invention, as above described, is embodied in a portable apparatus, capable of #being carried in the hand or strapped to the body in any suitable way, it may also be set upon the floor, in niches, chambers or otherwise supported in stationary manner, and it mayalso be set in fixed positions on the tim'- Y' i bers, walls,ro0f or other portions of mines, rooms, chambers, galleries, etc., and connected to the'source of power through the mesaid apparatus being inserted in. series in the circuit in multiple, `or in series'parallel,

the arrangement electromechanics.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

`being merely a martter of 1. .In combination, an electric safety lamp lamp, of a source of light; gas pressurey means-in the lamp for normally maintain-- ing the light; and means operated .by 'external gas pressure for dimming thelight without a'ecting the operation of the gas pressure means. i

3. The combination, in an electric safety lamp ot' a source of light; a sealed and means within thechamber responsive to the internal pressure of the gas to normally maintain the light, and to operate to snuff ,the light should the gas pressure in the chamber be either reduced or overcome.

4. Thercombination, in an electric safety lamp, of a source of light; gas pressure means in the -lamp for maintaining the light; means responsive to gas pressure for dinnning the light; the latter means includ.-

maintaining the light and to be' Gas; `chamber surrounding said sofurce of' light;

isa

gia

- ieee ing an elementl variable lin its -action'ior irarying the dimming eect upon the light. l 5. A safety lamp comprising a. source of light; a' sealed gas chamber containing the' source of lio'ht means Within the @as cham'- ber normally acting to maintain the/light; "means communicating with the atmosphere in the presence of noxious eases, comgrisinigl an electric circuit having; terminals in the apparatus; a source ot light inserted in the circuit; means including.;- a switch bet-Ween the terminals adapted to be operated automatically by variations in atmospheric pressure 5 and means inserted in the circuit, in-

cluding a rheostatic device for varying the voltage across the terminals, adapted to be i automatically operated in the presence of a noxious gas.

8. A sai-'sty lamp .comprising arbase provided With a chamber open to the atmosphere, in combination lWith a. member supported on the base and containing; a sealed chamber; a source of light in che oi the chambers; means for maintaining said source oie. light; and means in the other chamber operable by pressure for varying the power of the light..

9. A. saety lamp comprising a source of light; means :for normally maintaining,1 the ,ses

light in the presence ci a gas Within the lamp; and means including a rheostat operating upon the source of light to Vary'the power thereof in the presence of ay noxious gas. i

l0. ,The combination, in an electric safety lamp, having,A a Ypressure chamber; a. source of light in saicl chamber; 'means in said y chamber operable by gas pressure to maintain the light, and operable byelteinal atmospheric pressure to extinguish the light.`

ll. rlhe combination, in an electric safety lamp, of a source et light; and means responsive to coniined gas under pressure and external pressure for respectively maintaining and extinguishing t ie light.

The combination, in an electric safety lamp, of source ci light; means responsive 'to confined gas under pressure and to cxx teinal pressure for respectively maintaining and entinguishing the light; and means responsive to pressure .of gas lighter than air for dimming the light.

13. The combination, in an electric safety lamp, of a source of light; means responsive to confined gas under pressure and to external pressure for respectively maintaining and extinguishing the light; and means normally inactive under saicl external pressure, but yresponsive in the presence of a' gas lighter than air to modify 'the action of the other responsive means.

14. The combination, in an electric lamp having a pressure chamber anol a chambero ien to the atmos heremeans in the ressure chamber responsive 4to pressure thereinl and outside atmosphere to aect the lamp; and means in the open chamber responsive to cliierences in pressure to afiect the lamp.

ci-inisranii e. iiiiiir. .ions i-i. corne. 

